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How to Connect a Meta Commerce Catalog to WhatsApp in Inaiy

Connect a Meta commerce catalog to your WhatsApp number in Inaiy, run the catalog checks, turn on carts, and publish products in bulk as WhatsApp catalog cards.

Updated · 6 min read

On this page

A Meta commerce catalog is the product list WhatsApp uses for native catalog cards: the product messages customers can tap, browse, and add to a cart. In Inaiy, go to Commerce → Channels → WhatsApp catalog, connect Meta, and choose a catalog. Run the Catalog checks, turn on the catalog and carts for your number, then publish your products in bulk from the Publishing tab.

A catalog is optional. Customers can already browse products in chat without one. Connect a catalog when you want WhatsApp's own product cards and carts.

Who this is for and what you need first

This guide is for store owners and admins setting up WhatsApp commerce.

You need:

  • A connected WhatsApp number and a Meta Business account you can manage.
  • A verified Meta business, which commerce features require.
  • Products in Inaiy with unique SKUs. See WhatsApp product catalog.
  • Permission to connect and manage the Meta catalog in Commerce.

Steps to connect a Meta commerce catalog

1. Connect Meta and choose a catalog

Go to Commerce → Channels and open WhatsApp catalog. If nothing is connected yet, a short wizard opens:

  1. Connect Meta: click Connect with Meta and sign in with the account that owns your WhatsApp Business account. If your number is already connected, choose Use connected WhatsApp.
  2. Choose a catalog: pick an existing catalog, or create a new one.
  3. Done: your WhatsApp catalog is connected.

2. Check the connection and settings

The WhatsApp catalog tab shows the Connection: your WhatsApp number, Meta business, catalog, and a Ready badge when everything works.

Under Catalog settings:

  • Catalog: your number can use one catalog. Switching it changes where products are published.
  • Catalog name: shown to customers in WhatsApp.
  • Turn on catalog for this number (callout 2): needed to send catalog cards. Your products also show on your WhatsApp business profile.
  • Let customers send a cart: customers can add catalog items to a cart and send it to you as an order.

Click Save after any change. Run checks (callout 1) tests the whole setup.

Run checks (callout 1) tests the setup. Turn on the catalog for your number (callout 2).

3. Fix anything the checks flag

Click See what to fix or Run checks. Inaiy runs 13 checks, including Business Connected, Business Verified, WhatsApp Business Connected, Phone Number Connected, Catalog Connected, Webhook Verified, Permissions Verified, Access Token Valid, Commerce Eligible, Publishing Ready, Native Shop Ready, and Order Intake Ready.

Each card shows Success, a warning, or a failure (callout 1), with the reason. Click View (callout 2) for details. Fix anything marked, then run the checks again.

Each check shows its status (callout 1). View (callout 2) explains the result.

4. Review the Publishing page

Open the Publishing tab. The top card confirms which catalog and number products go to. Four counters show Ready to publish, Queued, Publishing, and Failed (callout 1).

Below are your products with their WhatsApp state. Use Filters to find the ones you want, or Select all matching (callout 2) to pick every product that matches.

Failed (callout 1) counts products that need fixing. Select all matching (callout 2) picks every filtered product.

5. Publish products in bulk

Tick the products you want. A toolbar appears with Validate (callout 1), Publish (callout 2), Unpublish, Refresh status, and Retry.

Click Validate first to catch missing SKUs, prices, or images. Then click Publish. Jobs run in the background, so products move through Queued and Publishing before they show On WhatsApp. For products that failed, fix the cause and click Retry.

Validate the selection (callout 1), then publish it (callout 2).

How to confirm it worked

  1. The Connection card shows Ready, and the catalog checks show no failures.
  2. On Publishing, Failed is 0 and your products show On WhatsApp.
  3. Open your business profile in WhatsApp on your phone. The catalog should list your products with the right prices.

Common mistakes

  1. Business not verified. Meta limits commerce features for unverified businesses. Complete verification in Meta Business Settings, then run the checks again.
  2. Turning off "Let customers send a cart". Customers can still view products but cannot send you an order. Leave it on unless you only want to show products.
  3. Publishing products without SKUs. WhatsApp matches products by SKU. Run Validate first and add any missing SKUs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Meta commerce catalog to sell on WhatsApp?

No. With the Chat browsing shop style, customers browse your products as chat messages and check out without a catalog. A Meta commerce catalog adds native WhatsApp product cards, the catalog on your business profile, and WhatsApp's own cart. Many shops start with chat browsing and add a catalog later.

Can I use more than one catalog?

Each WhatsApp number uses one catalog at a time. You can switch it under Catalog settings, but products are then published to the new catalog, so republish them afterwards. If you sell different ranges, keep them in one catalog and use categories and collections to show the right products.

What does Disconnect do?

Disconnect removes the link between Inaiy and your WhatsApp catalog. Catalog cards stop working until you connect again. Your products, orders, and chat shop in Inaiy are not affected, so customers can still browse in chat. Use Reconnect to link the same or a different catalog later.

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